The Hives

Since emerging as stalwarts of Swedish garage rock, the Hives have honed a craft of sharp-tongued, audacious rock & roll. While elements such as their rigid black-and-white attire and direction from the possibly fictitious mentor Randy Fitzsimmons risked seeming contrived, the group countered any skepticism through high-voltage stage shows and a style drawing from the Stooges, Sonics, and New Bomb Turks. Barely Legal from 1997 delivered rapid-fire pacing that echoed their punk origins, yet already hinted at the cocky approach refined on Veni Vidi Vicious in 2000, home to the defining track “Hate to Say I Told You So.” The garage-rock resurgence of the early 2000s boosted their visibility, as Tyrannosaurus Hives in 2004 earned gold certification across several nations. The Black and White Album of 2007 broadened their palette, Lex Hives in 2012 added further weight, and The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons in 2023 marked the Hives’ thirtieth anniversary with some of their most concise and magnetic material.

Nicholaus Arson on lead guitar and vocals, Chris Dangerous on drums, Dr. Matt Destruction on bass, Vigilante Carlstroem on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist on vocals came together in Fagersta, Sweden, in 1993 while still teenagers. The 1994 demo EP Sounds Like Sushi secured a contract with Sidekicks Records, which released the band’s debut EP Oh Lord! When? How? in June 1996. Switching to Burning Heart, they issued their first full-length Barely Legal in September 1997, a set of raw garage punk that also launched their initial American tour. Two EPs followed in 1998: the January split A Killer Among Us with kindred spirits the Pricks, and March’s A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T, which extended the Barely Legal tracklist with additions such as a cover of the Adicts’ “Numbers.”

Producer Pelle Gunnerfeldt guided sessions for the second album in late 1999. Issued in April 2000 on Burning Heart and Epitaph, Veni Vidi Vicious lifted the Hives to greater critical and commercial heights via strutting singles including “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Main Offender.” The record reached the top of the Swedish charts, where it later received gold status, and climbed to number 63 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. Its impact, combined with tours alongside International Noise Conspiracy and the Hellacopters, drew admiration from figures ranging from Noel Gallagher to Courtney Love and prompted a 2001 agreement with Alan McGee’s Poptones imprint. Gearhead Records handled U.S. reissues of Barely Legal, A.K.A. I-D-I-O-T, and Hate to Say I Told You So. Further road work and U.K. single re-releases led to the Top Ten arrival of the October 2001 compilation Your New Favourite Band, drawn from the prior two albums and EPs; “Hate to Say I Told You So” and “Main Offender” subsequently charted on the U.K. Singles list. When Veni Vidi Vicious arrived stateside in 2002, “Hate to Say I Told You So” remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for eleven months.

After extensive touring across the U.S. and U.K., the Hives returned to Sweden in 2003 to begin their follow-up. Again produced by Gunnerfeldt, Tyrannosaurus Hives appeared in July 2004 and sharpened the band’s songwriting while sustaining their ascent. It hit number one and earned gold certification in Sweden, received gold status in the U.K. after a Top Ten debut, and yielded the Top 20 single “Walk Idiot Walk.” In the U.S. it reached number 33 on the Billboard 200. At the 23rd annual Swedish Grammis in early 2005, the Hives claimed five honors, among them Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Rock Group of the Year. Late in 2006 Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist joined Moneybrother for the Swedish-language rendition of Operation Ivy’s “Freeze Up” titled “Jag skriver inte på nått,” featured on Pengabrorsan. Around the same period the band collaborated with Timbaland on “Throw It on Me,” included on the producer’s 2007 release Timbaland Presents Shock Value.

For their fourth album the Hives adopted a wider, more collaborative method, enlisting the Neptunes, Jacknife Lee, and Thomas Öberg. The Black and White Album, released in October 2007, folded additional electronics and cheers from the University of Mississippi cheerleading squad into the group’s coiled rock framework. A Top Five success in Sweden, it reached number 29 in the U.K. and number 65 in the U.S. Near its launch the Hives supplied “Fall Is Just Something Grownups Invented” for Cartoon Network’s 2007 lineup; the track also surfaced as a bonus on select editions of the album. In early 2008 they received the Swedish Grammi for Best Live Act. Later that year they contributed to multiple tracks on N.E.R.D’s Seeing Sounds and released the continuous-mix Black, White, and Run as part of Nike+’s Original Run series. Their December duet with Cyndi Lauper, “A Christmas Duel,” peaked at number four on the Swedish charts. The July 2010 Tarred and Feathered EP found the Hives covering material by Zero Boys, Flash and the Pan, and Joy Ryder and Avis Davis.

The Hives resurfaced in June 2012 with Lex Hives, their debut self-produced effort and first release on their own Disques Hives label. Returning to core garage-rock principles, the album became a Top Ten hit in Sweden, entered the Top 40 in Austria and Australia, and reached number 71 in the U.K. and 84 in the U.S. Health concerns prompted Dr. Matt Destruction’s departure near the close of 2013, after which Johan and Only (also known as Randy member Johan Gustafsson) assumed bass duties. Following the 2015 single “Blood Red Moon,” the band focused on live appearances for several years, including sets at Riot Fest and Lollapalooza Paris. In 2019 they issued “I’m Alive” and “Good Samaritan,” then toured the U.S. with Refused (drummer Joey Castillo filling in for Destruction during his recovery). During that run the Hives captured the September 2020 live album Live at Third Man Records. When the COVID-19 pandemic halted touring in 2021, they presented The World Wide Web Tour of live-streamed shows timed for audiences in Berlin, London, New York City, Sydney, São Paulo, and Stockholm. Later that year they supported the Offspring across Europe and the U.K.

Work on the sixth album paired the Hives with producer Patrik Berger, formerly of Snuffed by the Yakuza and known for collaborations with Robyn and Charli XCX. Together they refined a collection of demos into August 2023’s The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons. Recorded at a studio owned by ABBA’s Benny Andersson, the album blended rousing pop-punk, electronic elements, and punchy brass while staying rooted in the Hives’ riff-driven garage rock.